Artificial Pancreas

The burden is eased all day, and you sleep safely through the night

Imagine a future where tight glucose control is maintained automatically and with ease.

Why it matters

Currently, managing type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a never-ending, difficult chore because the body often defies even the most vigilant efforts to keep blood sugar at normal levels. As a result, even sleeping can be anxiety-filled for people with T1D, because that’s often when dangerous low-blood-sugar episodes occur. Simply enjoying a slice of pizza can require significant insulin-dose planning in order to avoid high blood sugar and the resulting risks of serious diabetic complications.

Artificial pancreas (AP) systems will automate blood-sugar management, dramatically reducing T1D-related risks and improving lives of people who have the disease. These systems will monitor glucose levels around the clock and automatically provide the right amount of insulin, and potentially other blood-sugar stabilizing hormones, at the right time. The heart of the system—sophisticated computer algorithms that live on a smartphone or similar device—will link to a continuous glucose monitor sensor and insulin pump to determine blood sugar trends and control insulin delivery.

As AP technology advances, these systems will become better and better at predicting blood-sugar changes and providing tightly controlled insulin dosing that virtually eliminates hyperglycemic and hypoglycemic episodes. AP systems are on the road to becoming the most revolutionary advance in diabetes care since the discovery of insulin.

Our pioneering research

JDRF has fostered incredible recent progress in AP technology through direct funding and collaborative partnerships with academic institutions, research organizations and industry.

Following the launch of our Artificial Pancreas Project in 2006, our first steps were to support the development of continuous glucose monitors and increasingly sophisticated insulin pumps. Today, precursor AP systems that both monitor blood glucose and automatically suspend insulin delivery in order to prevent dangerously low blood sugar are on the market. Early AP systems with the ability to predict blood sugar trends and dose accordingly are expected to enter the market as early as 2017.

We’ve come a long way on this journey in a short period of time. But more work must be done to advance the development of AP systems. JDRF is continuing to push for faster-acting insulin, improved blood-glucose sensing technology and the ultimate goal of this project: completely automated AP systems that replicate, as closely as possible, the operations of a normal pancreas.

Achievements

We're not just imagining a world without T1D. We're making it happen.

CGM Use During Pregnancy Makes for Healthier Moms and Babies

JDRF’s CONCEPTT study shows that using a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) during and prior to pregnancy improves health outcomes for both mothers and babies. In the study, women with T1D who used a CGM spent an extra 100 minutes per day with blood sugars in a healthy range, and their babies were less likely to have hypoglycemia post-partum. Babies of women who used a CGM were also about half as likely to have complications or require intensive care.

CMS Creates Pathway to CGM Medicare Coverage

After years of JDRF advocacy efforts, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) classifies continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) as durable medical equipment, creating a pathway for their coverage by Medicare. However, CMS did not establish coverage criteria for CGM in their ruling, so Medicare coverage decisions will be made on a case-by-case or claim-by-claim basis based on a determination of whether CGM is “reasonable and necessary” for treatment of an individual’s T1D. The new classification is crucial for continued development of artificial pancreas systems, most of which incorporate CGMs.

First Artificial Pancreas System Wins FDA Approval

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves the first hybrid closed-loop artificial pancreas system for use in the United States. Medtronic’s treat-to-range MiniMed 670G delivers continuous basal insulin doses in response to blood-glucose data monitored by a CGM incorporated into the system, but requires mealtime bolusing. JDRF underwrote early research that led to the system’s development.

New Partnership Focuses on Improved Infusion Set

JDRF partners with Pacific Diabetes Technologies to develop a combined CGM sensor and insulin infusion set component for insulin pumps and, eventually, AP systems. A more convenient combined device, requiring only a single item to penetrate the skin, may encourage broader adoption of CGM, pump and AP technologies.

UVA AP System Wins NIH Funding for Pivotal Trial

Investigators at the University of Virginia wrap up a definitive trial of the Diabetes Assistant (DiAs) artificial pancreas system—funded solely by JDRF. Results demonstrate that the hybrid closed-loop systems are safe and effective for extended home use. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) follows up with a $12.7 million grant to support a two-phase pivotal trial of the technology.